Here There Be Dragons
by MissDoctorDonna
Summary: Donna and the Doctor land on a new planet and mayhem of many types ensues.


Donna bounded out of the TARDIS and stopped abruptly, awestruck by the landscape before her. The Doctor crashed into her from behind, unprepared for her sudden halt. Grabbing her around the waist to prevent her falling, he muttered an apology, but she didn't notice. Open-mouthed, she tried to take in all she surveyed.

In front of them was the most magnificent vista, she'd ever seen. Grass, so lush and verdant that it looked fake, stretched down to the edge of a vast stretch of water. The water was as blue as the sky above it and was as still as death itself. On either side of the water rose sheer cliffs, covered in wild fir forests and grassy fields. The mountains on the other side of the water were snow capped. The water was so still that it perfectly reflected the mountains, sky and clouds. The air was cold and crisp as it blew down from the snowy mountainsides, causing Donna to drag in huge breaths of it, blowing it back out in clouds of vapour. Aside from the sound of the breeze rippling through the fir trees further up, there was no sound.

"Ohhhh, Spaceman," breathed Donna, completely entranced.

The Doctor grinned to himself, enjoying the look of wonderment on Donna's face far more than the scenery. Although the scenery was pretty spectacular, he admitted to himself.

Whispering, Donna asked, "What is this planet called?"

"Fólkvangr," he answered, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Surprised, Donna turned in his arms and blurted, "The field of the host? As in Valhalla? As in the resting place of Viking bloody warriors?"

His face was the epitome of stunned amazement as he released her and stepped back.

"What? I'm not allowed to know stuff?" Highly insulted by his reaction, she turned away and started walking down towards the water, muttering under her breath angrily.

Watching her go, the Doctor realised that he'd once again insulted his fiery friend without meaning to do so. His stomach clenched painfully at the thought of causing her pain, however unintentionally. Seeing her standing by the waterside, her arms wrapped around herself and head bowed, he was stabbed by remorse.

Donna heard him walking towards her and hurriedly swiped the tears from her face. Cursing the premenstrual hormones that were making her so hypersensitive, she braced herself for his arrival.

As he neared her, the Doctor took a deep, calming breath and nearly choked on the cocktail of Human hormones coming off her. Well, that explained her over-reaction. Unable to stop himself, he blurted, "You've got PMT, haven't you?"

The idyllic silence was disrupted by the sound of a slap, the noise reverberating around the mountains. Completely incensed, Donna's voice was deadly quiet as she said, "Stay the hell away from me, you insensitive alien git!"

Stalking off, Donna's pace increased until she was running away from the Doctor, sobbing under her breath. Her hand stung from the force of the blow and she kept seeing his shocked eyes. She shouldn't have lost her temper with him, knowing that he didn't have the same sense of decorum as others. He often commented in a clinical manner on matters of a sensitive nature, so she should be used to it. But her hormones were all over the place and that was compounded by the fact that the anniversary of her grandmother's death was approaching.

Sinking down with her back to a tree as she faced the water, she continued to cry brokenheartedly as memories of her Nan washed over her. Remembering the times she'd sat in the kitchen, watching her Nan bake or cook dinner; the teasing, loving interaction between her grandparents; the soft, proud smile that her Nan would wear as she looked at her; the smell of roses, biscuits and talc; the softness and comfort of being enfolded in her warm embrace; the sharpness of her wit and humour.

Swiping at her face, Donna sniffed dolefully as her memories turned darker, remembering the long nights of handholding as her beloved Nan fought the cancer that wrought havoc with her body. She remembered watching as her Nan quickly shrank into a tiny, birdlike version of the woman she'd known; her bright eyes the only feature to remain the same. Eventually, even her eyes were dulled by the pain she was in, until the final awful moment when they closed forever. Putting her head on her knees, Donna sobbed with the sharp pain in her soul.

The Doctor stood by the water, not far from where she'd left him, listening to the sound of her misery as it carried through the clear air. His hearts hurt at the thought that he'd caused her pain again. More than anything, he wanted to comfort her, but she'd told him to leave her alone. Cursing his impulsive tongue, he paced along the water. Given the length of time that she'd been crying, he began to realise that there was something more than hormones wrong with his companion. Donna rarely cried and almost never cried openly. The raw anguish of the sobbing he could hear was something he'd never heard from her before, and he was becoming increasingly concerned.

Running out of tears and breath, Donna fished in her pocket for a hankie and mopped up her face, blowing her nose vigorously. Leaning back against the tree, she rested her head back and closed her burning eyes, as she heaved in great breaths of air. Slowly starting to calm down, Donna held her breath suddenly as she felt something crawling onto her lap. Cracking her eyes open, she looked down cautiously and saw what looked like a lizard in her lap.

It was a beautiful looking creature, with glittering golden scales and large jade green eyes. Said eyes were fixed on Donna's face as it tilted its head inquisitively. Tentatively, it sat on its haunches and leaned forward to flick its ribbony forked tongue over Donna's cheek causing a tickling sensation. She sat perfectly still and watched as the little creature blinked and sneezed, looking surprised by the taste of the tear it had captured on its tongue. Donna chuckled and reached towards it slowly, stroking its shiny little chest with the back of her finger.

It wriggled happily and gave a tiny little purring sound, making Donna smile. Tickling the little creature under the chin, she giggled as its purr increased and its tongue flickered out to caress her fingers. Her mood lightening at the antics of the lizard, Donna remembered the Doctor and realised that he was probably worrying about her. Giving the lizard a final tickle, she lifted it to the ground and stood up. The little creature immediately scampered up her trouser leg, up her top and burrowed into her hair as it curled around her neck. Deciding to take it with her to show the Doctor, Donna started walking back the way she'd come.

Meanwhile, the Doctor had been having his own encounter with the native fauna. Just as he'd decided to go after Donna, despite her admonishment, he turned and found himself faced with a very large, very angry dragon. It was as tall as him, glittered in the sunlight and had its wings outstretched in a threatening manner. It looked even more menacing when it opened its mouth wide and hissed, revealing a mouth full of wickedly sharp teeth.

"Whoa, there. Nice dragon, no need to be hasty. I don't mean any harm," soothed the Doctor, his eyes frantically scanning for any sign of Donna. The sudden lack of sobbing had worried him before, but now that he was confronted with this obviously aggressive beast, he was panicking. Plucking his sonic from his pocket, he set it to emit a high pitched blast of sound and pointed it at the enraged dragon.

It shook its head frantically and then roared at the Doctor, swiping at his arm, shredding his sleeve and gouging his arm. Yelping, the Time Lord dropped his sonic and backed up, tripping over a rock and landing hard on his back. His respiratory bypass kicked in as the breath was knocked from him and he kicked with his legs to scoot himself away from the growling dragon. The wound on his arm was bleeding freely and the dragon's tongue flicked out to lick at the ground where drops of it had scattered. Squeezing his eyes shut, the Doctor sent out an apology to Donna for stranding her here on this planet and waited to be eaten.

"OI! Lizard! Get away from him!" Donna's strident voice rang out and was quickly followed by an ear splitting whistle. The dragon turned towards the sound quickly, its tail whipping around behind it and catching the Doctor's legs. A searing pain shot up his leg as he felt his knee dislocate and he couldn't contain the scream of pain.

Running at the giant lizard, Donna was struck by the similarities between it and her little friend. When the larger version spread its wings and opened its maw wide to reveal its teeth, she skidded to a stop and automatically reached out to smack its muzzle sharply, saying, "Stop that, you stupid reptile! I'm not going to hurt you."

Despite his agony, the Doctor's mouth dropped open at the magnificent sight of his companion smacking an enraged fully grown Fólkvangran dragon. He scrabbled for his sonic, which was just out of his reach, and he dragged himself painfully towards it.

The large dragon sat on its haunches in surprise and whined uncertainly. Snuffling, it crept toward Donna on its stomach before stopping and giving a curious huffing bark. An answering squeak came from the region of Donna's neck, before a small golden head emerged from her hair. The large dragon crooned low in its chest and Donna felt the ground beneath her feet vibrate with it.

Donna was petrified but trying not to show her fear. She'd watched the Dog Whisperer and figured the same rules applied to all potentially aggressive animals. Her fear turned to curiosity when its behaviour changed so abruptly. Then the little creature around her neck squeaked and emerged and the penny dropped. Stretching out her arm toward the larger animal, she watched the little one scamper down her arm and pause on her hand. It then ran back up her arm to rub its tiny face on her cheek, before skittering back down to her hand, where it stretched out its neck towards the larger one. The two touched snouts tenderly and the larger one's tongue flickered out to caress the smaller dragon. Then the smaller one leapt from Donna's hand onto the larger dragon's head, running round and round its neck before settling in a spot just between its wings.

Laughing, Donna watched as the baby rejoined its mother, saying, "The lost is found. Now, can you get out of my way so I can help my friend?"

Watching in amazement, the Doctor saw the baby dragon emerge from Donna's hair and crawl down her arm towards its mother. This was why the dragon had been so aggressive towards him; she'd lost her baby.

The large dragon moved to rub its head against Donna, before it spread its wings and took off, circling around them once before heading over the mountains.

Immediately running to her injured friend, Donna knelt beside him and started rummaging in his pocket for a bandage. Withdrawing what she needed, she set about binding the Doctor's forearm firmly. Not bothering to move the remnants of his sleeve, she just wanted to slow the bleeding until she could get him back to the TARDIS. She ignored his hissed complaints as she moved efficiently.

"Right then, Sunshine, let's get you back to the ship and get you fixed up properly," Donna said briskly, preparing to lift him.

"No, no. Donna, I've hurt my knee too, don't move me!" cried the Doctor, clutching his companion tightly.

Detaching his hands, she moved to kneel beside his leg, noting that it looked odd. "What have you done to your knee?"

Watching her apprehensively, ready to stop her if she looked like touching his leg, the Doctor grumbled, "I didn't do anything to it. That overgrown lizard swiped me with her tail and dislocated my knee."

Making a sympathetic noise, Donna wondered how she was going to get him back to the TARDIS without moving his knee. Feeling a plucking at her sleeve, Donna looked down to see the Doctor's hand.

"Donna. Can you.. That is … Um," he stammered in a tiny voice. The Doctor was feeling a bit peaky and couldn't get his words out properly.

Her eyes glowing with compassion, Donna moved forward to pull the Doctor gently into her arms, stroking his hair back softly.

Melting into the soft body of his companion, the Doctor sighed and tried to ignore the fierce throbbing in his arm and leg. This wasn't what he'd been going to ask for, but it was very welcome nonetheless. He was feeling cold and shivery from shock and blood loss, so Donna's warm embrace was quite comforting and he snuggled into it.

Thoughtfully, stroking his cheek with her thumb, she worried her lower lip with her teeth as she wondered how to get him home. They were only about a hundred metres from the TARDIS, but it would be excruciating for the Doctor to be dragged there.

"Donna, do you think you could move the TARDIS closer?" ventured the Doctor finally.

"Me?" squeaked Donna in complete shock. "I can't fly the TARDIS by myself. You've only just started to teach me. I nearly dented the eighties, remember?"

Clutching her sleeve as a wave of pain hit him, the Doctor pressed his face into her shoulder to muffle his whimper. Once it had passed, he pleaded in a muffled voice, "Donna. Please!"

Kissing his head, Donna thought furiously, rubbing her friend's back soothingly. It was starting to get cold and dark, and the Doctor's shivering was increasing. Making up her mind, Donna lowered him carefully to the ground. Taking her jacket off, she rolled it up and put it under his head as a pillow. Then she bent to kiss his forehead before she stood up and told him, "Right, this is getting us nowhere, let's see what I can do. You just hold tight, okay, Spaceman?"

Smiling up at her bravely, he replied, "Okay, Donna."

Watching her go, he shivered violently and sent a prayer to Rassilon that Donna would figure out how to get the TARDIS closer. Grasping his injured arm firmly as he felt blood leaking through the bandages, he tried to lie as still as possible. He felt quite miserable.

Unlocking the TARDIS doors, Donna ran towards the console. Looking at the myriad dials and levers, she tried to remember what the Doctor had taught her. Suddenly, in the midst of her panic, she had a moment of crystal clarity that made her slap her forehead in exasperation. "God! I am so THICK!"

Turning, she ran down the hallway to the medbay sending a plea to the ship. Entering the room, she grabbed the bag from the bed, and ran back out with a shouted, "Thanks, old girl. Be back soon,"

Racing back towards the prone form of the Doctor, she saw that he'd thrown his good arm across his eyes. Panting, she threw herself down next to him and put her hand on his chest.

"Couldn't you remember how to fly her then?" asked the Doctor, dully.

"Better than that, Time Boy," she said triumphantly and rummaged in the bag, plonking a device onto his chest.

Opening his eyes, he peered down at the device in surprise before a sunny grin split his thin, pale face. Grabbing Donna's hand, he squeezed it and said gratefully, "Donna Noble, you're brilliant!"

"Aren't I though? Right, let's get you up," she grinned back at him, easing him up to rest against her chest again.

He looked in the bag and withdrew the other instrument. Pressing it to his neck, he released a healthy dose of Time Lord-friendly painkiller into his bloodstream and sighed as it took immediate effect. Picking up the original instrument, he activated it and waved it over his injured knee. His hands shook and he made a noise of irritation.

Donna watched with keen eyes as he dosed himself and then began to treat his knee. Seeing his trembling and hearing his frustration, she reached out to steady his hand with her own, murmuring, "There now, sweetheart. We'll soon have you tucked up in your nice, warm bed with a nice cup of tea and some cake, huh?"

Soothed by her voice and steadied by her hand, the Doctor nodded and concentrated on treating his knee. Finally, he decided it was as good as it was going to get without bed rest and put the instruments back in the bag. Looking up at Donna with a wan face, he suggested, "Shall we go back to the TARDIS, then?"

"Best idea you've had for a while, Skinny Boy," joked Donna, guiding his good arm around her shoulders and putting hers firmly around his waist. Picking up the bag, she waited until he'd got his good leg bent ready and then hoisted him upwards. Swaying a little, the Doctor turned a bit green, but soon recovered and started to limp forward as he clung to Donna.

Eventually, they reached the medbay and the Doctor lay down wearily on the exam bed. Donna brushed her hand over his hair and looked down at him fondly. Then she read what was scrolling across the screen, taking her orders from the TARDIS. She gathered the instrument from the drawer that popped open and then waved it over the Doctor's arm until the TARDIS beeped. Unwrapping the blood soaked bandages, she threw them in the rubbish chute. Smoothing her fingers over the freshly healed flesh, she then took his hand.

"Right, Sunshine. Time for you to get washed up and into your pjs, huh?" suggested Donna, as she used her other hand to rub his chest lightly.

"Hmm," murmured the Doctor, enjoying the sensation. He was exhausted by his day and wasn't sure he had the energy to move.

"Or, I could just leave you here to sleep for a while," chuckled Donna as she withdrew her hand and started to leave the room. She was brought to an abrupt halt as her friend's cool hand grabbed her hand. Turning around, she was surprised to see his face had creased up into an expression of panic. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

Unable to explain why, the Time Lord just knew he didn't want Donna to leave him. Sitting up, he swung his long legs over the edge of the bed, wincing as he bent his barely healed knee. Grabbing at her waist with his free hand, he began to wriggle off the bed gingerly, using her for support.

"What are you doing? Have you decided you want to go to bed after all?" queried Donna, puzzled by his silence but holding onto him as he managed to stand up.

Grabbing at Donna as his knee gave out, the Doctor yelped and leaned back to rest his bum on the bed. Breathing heavily, he put his head on Donna's shoulder and waited for the pain to pass.

Stroking the back of his neck, Donna asked quietly, "Do you need more treatment, Spaceman?" He shook his head, so she continued, "Why so quiet? Dragon got your tongue?"

His breath huffed down her cleavage. Then he muttered, "You slapped a dragon today. To protect me. You could have been killed. To protect me."

"Oh, is that what's bugging you. Well, that's what mates are for, aren't they? You'd have done the same for me, wouldn't you?" Waiting until he'd nodded fervently, she continued, "Well, there you go. Now stop being so soppy and let's get you to bed. You'll feel much better after some sleep."

Letting her ease him up to his feet, he plodded along beside her to his room. Once there, she quickly stripped his outer clothes off him and lowered him to the bed. Bending down to remove his shoes and socks, she threw all his clothes in a heap to be sorted later. Then she lifted his feet up onto the bed, propped his knee up on a pillow and covered him over. Going into the bathroom, she returned with a facecloth wrung out in hot water and a glass of water. Using the cloth to wipe his face, neck, forearm and hands, she then propped him up to drink the water.

Enjoying all the attention tremendously, the Doctor tried to remember that he was over nine hundred years old and well beyond needing such care. Much to his surprise, he found that he didn't resent Donna treating him as though he were a child. Cuddling back into the pillows that Donna had plumped, he sighed and let his body relax. He was hungry, but his eyelids felt like lead and he doubted that he'd be able to stay awake long enough to eat anything. The water had taken the edge off, so he decided to eat later. Gripping his companion's hand, he drifted off to sleep as she combed her fingers through his hair.

Sitting beside him and stroking his silky hair, Donna waited until the tight grip on her hand eased. When she was sure that he was deeply sleeping, she carefully stood and left the room, taking his clothes with her. Shoving them in the laundry chute in her room, she quickly showered and changed into her pajamas, robe and slippers. Padding along the hallway to the kitchen, she gathered ingredients and started making a rich Irish stew with fresh soda bread.

Jerking awake with a hoarse shout of fear, the Doctor looked around him wildly and called, "Donna!"

The TARDIS soothed him and told him that she was safe in the kitchen. Taking a deep breath, the Time Lord nodded and got out of bed, heading for the bathroom.

Having showered and dressed in his pajamas, robe and slippers, the Doctor made his way to the kitchen, following the delicious smell of cooking meat and vegetables. Standing at the door, he watched as his flame-haired companion shuffled around the kitchen setting the table and getting a meal ready for the two of them. It was all so dangerously domestic, yet the Time Lord didn't feel smothered in the least. With Donna, it felt… comforting.

Getting the feeling that she was being watched, Donna spun to see the Doctor standing in the doorway looking at her with an expression of tenderness that made her heart ache. Smiling, she beckoned him in, saying, "C'mon Spaceman, dinner's nearly ready. Sit down and I'll dish up."

"It smells wonderful, Donna. What are we having?" replied the Doctor as he took his customary seat and reached for his glass of milk.

"Nothing special, just some stew," she replied, putting a soup bowl of the stew in front of him with a side plate of warm bread. Getting her own meal, she sat opposite him and started eating.

Spooning up a mouthful, the Doctor hummed appreciatively as he chewed and swallowed. Grinning at Donna, he told her, "Everything you cook is special and this stew is delicious. Just what I needed. Thank you."

Making a dismissive noise, Donna blushed at his praise and quickly resumed eating. Once they'd finished their simple meal, they shared the washing up and then headed to the television room. Sitting side by side, they laughed their way through a Monty Python dvd and then Donna went to get them some hot chocolate.

"Here we go. Thought you might be ready for a snack," she announced on her return, lowering a tray with two hot chocolates and a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

Grinning, the Doctor leaned forward to snatch up a cookie in one hand and his drink in the other. Shoving half the cookie in his mouth, then taking a slurp of chocolate, he smooshed it together before swallowing and saying, "Yum!"

Eyeing the procedure with a grimace of distaste, Donna shook her head indulgently and muttered, "You're revolting sometimes, Time Boy."

"Yeah, but most of the time I'm adorable," he retorted with a cheeky grin, fluttering his long lashes at her for emphasis and making her laugh.

"Oh go on with you," she threw back at him, slapping him lightly on the arm and laughing again when he pouted at her.

Afterwards they watched another movie, during which the Doctor sleepily curled up with his head on Donna's lap. He loved the sensation of her fingers combing through his hair and soon succumbed to sleep.

Just as the movie ended and Donna was wondering how to wake the slumbering Time Lord, he startled her by sitting bolt upright and crying out, "Donna!"

Putting her hand on his back, she murmured softly, "I'm here, Doctor. It's okay."

Jumping at her touch, he twisted around and threw his arms around her, burying his face in her neck.

"Bad dream, Spaceman?"

Nodding, he tightened his arms around her and muttered, "Can I sleep in your bed tonight?"

"Yeah, sweetheart, you can sleep with me," she said, rubbing circles on his back soothingly. "Come on then, the movie's over so we might as well turn in."

Hand in hand they made their way to Donna's room and through to her bathroom, where they jostled with each other as they vied for the sink as they were brushing their teeth. Still giggling, they pushed each other out of the way as they returned to the bedroom. Going to their usual sides, they climbed into bed and wriggled until they were comfortable.

Fidgeting more than usual, the Doctor suddenly blurted, "Why were you crying today, Donna?"

Sighing, she asked, "How did you know I was crying?"

"The atmosphere is very clear and sound travels well over water, superior Time Lord hearing… lots of technical reasons that you don't really care about, so suffice to say that I heard you." He turned onto his side and reached for her hand, prompting, "I know it was more than PMT, or me being rude, so why?"

Staring into the dark, she sighed again, knowing that he wouldn't be fobbed off with a half truth. Finally, she said quietly, "It's the anniversary of my Nan's death."

"I'm sorry," he breathed, squeezing her hand.

"Yeah," she said heavily, squeezing his hand back. "What was your nightmare about?"

Silence descended and Donna was starting to think he wasn't going to answer when he whispered, "You died."

Turning towards him, she asked, "What?"

"The dragon got you and you died," he elaborated, reluctantly. Then he rushed on, "I ran forward and you fell into my arms, all covered in blood, and you were holding onto me and asking me to help you and then you made this … awful gurgling noise and then you were so still and your eyes were just looking up at me without seeing me and then I woke up."

Reaching out to her distraught friend, Donna held him close and soothed, "Shhh, now. It was just a dream. I didn't die. We're both safe on the TARDIS and everything's alright. Hush now."

Snuggling into her, he sobbed desolately, "You can't leave me, Donna. You're my best friend. I can't cope without you. I know I'm rude and arrogant and ungrateful sometimes, but I need you."

Kissing his head, Donna hushed him again and started to sing softly. When he stopped crying and lay heavily against her, sniffling occasionally, she whispered, "I'm going to travel with you forever, you dummy. There's not a dragon alive that can stop me either. I love you, you skinny alien dunce, and you can't get rid of me. Now go to sleep, sweetheart."

Sighing, he pulled himself closer to her and tucked his head under her chin. Concentrating on her smell and the solidity of her body under his, he let his eyelids close. Her fingers were tracing abstract patterns on his back with one hand, whilst the fingers of the other were combing through his hair. She'd told him that she loved him, powerful words to his people, and he felt his hearts open to her further. He was lost; he knew it now. He was bound to this fiery, beautiful Human woman.

Almost asleep, he smiled as he felt her nuzzle into his hair, gently pressing a kiss to his head. Unsure if the words actually made it out of his mouth, he knew he definitely thought, "I love you, too."

Either way, Donna smiled.


End file.
